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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16918, 24 December 1925, Page 4

The Poverty Bay Herald will not he published to-morrow, Christmas Day, or on Saturday, Boxing Day. Some enterprising, K conscienceless, individual secured a cheap Chr strnas din ner last evening, when he visited the poultry pens at the rear of Mr. F. Barwick’s' auction mart and removed two nicely-conditioned turkeys. The pens are, as a. rule, left empty overnight, but last evening the two turkeys, accompanied by a brace of fowls, remained.

The Gisborne Scottish Society has de J , eided to abandon the Boxing Day picnic and Hogmonay social, ns many members are. absent from the district. In an endeavor to warn children of the danger of touching live wires, tho Southland Power Board has mado arrangements with the district Education Board by which directions, written i« clear and simple language, will be read by teachers in all schools in Southland to the children.

The new firm alarm system, the installation of which is now practically completed, was requisitioned for the first time last evening, when the brigade was called to a lire in Bright street. 'I he alarm was given at the box on the corner of Peel street and Gladstone road and proved most effective, the mechanism working without any hitch. Uneasiness has been expressed by members of the Tc Puke Town Board at the inadequate supply'of water at the bearlworks in the event of a serious lire. It is suggested that step 3 be taken to enlarge the present reservoir, and a ■ committee has been appointed to go into the question and report.

Evidence of the popularity of the evening service from Napier to Wairoa and Gisborne lias been given this week. In the ordinary way the cars, only travel to Wairoa, coming on,to Gisborne the following morning, but during the \freek it lias been found necessary for the cars to travel right through to Gisborne. Last, evening 34 passengers came off the Wellington express at Napier fpr Gisborne, and arrived here at 1 a.m. by the De-Luxe Motor Service.

Motoring tours during the holidays are not, as popular this year as they were last season, according to reports from, the Gisborne-garages. The number of motorists at present visiting the town does not compare with the large number of tourists last year. Many of the Gisborne car owners have already set out, or are contemplating setting out. oti holiday tours. The motoring season does not get into full swing until the New Year, when it is expected that a large number of t-ourists will vism erisborne.

"I agree. We want to keep tho cradles full. ’ ’ This remark was made by the director-general of health, Dr. T. H. Valintiuc, in reply to a question at a meeting ! of tho Wanganui Hospital Board. "We have a shameful birthrate,” he added. "It is too low for a country like this. Tho birthrate is only about 19 per thousand. I am glad to see that tho country districts do not labor under that stigma, but in the towns the birthrate has got. to be a very series thing.” Experiments in the maintenance of pumice roads by use of the road drag have been carried out in the Tauranga district in the past few months. The experiments have proved the drag to be a useful implement for maintenance of this class of road. For some time reports regarding the highways in. the Rotorua County have not been satisfactory, and the Highways Board decided to take over the whole of the highways in the Rotorua, County, with a view to maintaining them, and to charge the Rotorua County with a proportion of tho cost of maintenance.

An outbreak of fire occured shortly after 9 o’clock last' evening in an old stable iii Bright street, and although the brigade was quickly on the scene, the building, comprising two storerooms, a trap-shed, and, a loose-box was completely gutted,, the timber being very dry and inflammable. .The building was owned by the Ripirata estate, and although unoccupied 1 , had, it is stated, been used by a vagrant a few nights earlier. The prompt arrival of the brigade prevented the- flames spreading to the adjoining properties, in one of which a number of children had been left home alone.

The duplication of the railway line between Penrose and Westfield at. Auckland has been completed and will be in use from Sunday. Work is being expedited on the duplication of the VVesttlold-Otahuhu , section, 'which should be finished within six months. Even the addition of the PenroseWcstficld duplication, will facilitate the handling of the heavy suburban traffic, eliminate, irritating delays and save running fpme on several trains. When the wluflc section, Penrose-Ota-hulm, is completed, more considerable time-table improvements will be made. Automatic signalling is being installed and the system is now in operation between Auckland and Westfield. Its advent also makes for the more expeditious despatch of trains.

Fifty-six years ago the first cycle - race in New Zealand was ridden in Christchurch (relates the Lyttelton Times). This race, which would'have amused the “speed kings” of English. Park, was recalled by Mr. T. Hyde, a visitor from'Napier, who built one of the cycles used in the race. The machine was the first .high-wheeled cycle in Christchurch, and its rivals in the race were a tricycle and some oldstyle cycles with pedals on the front wheel hubs. Mr. Hyde’s new model was ridden by his brother, Mr, George Hyde, but the old order prevailed for the Hyde machine collapsed near the winning post. The race was ridden on December 16, 1869, and a start was made in Latimer Square, the course ) being round several of the city 4 blocks.

A narrow escape from serious injury, if not death, occurred at the Havelock street level crossing, Ashburton. A heavy dray, drawn by a team of three horses and driven by Mr AY. Kelly, who was accompanied by a boy named Kermccn, of Newlands, a son of the owner of the dray, was proceeding up Havelock street, and the driver did not notice the approach of a goods train from Timaru, his attention being fixed on a train which was shunting near the station. Tho engine struck the loading horse and throw it. into the air clear of tho train. The dray was not capsized, and the driver and his companion and the two rear horses escaped unhurt. The leading liorso was badlly cut about the left shoulder, but was otherwise unhurt, and, after receiving veterinary attention, was able to proceed to a stable. The only damage sustained by the dray was a broken shaft.

A village has grown up at Tangarakau Flat, where the Public Works employees engaged in connection with construction work for the StratfordMain Trunk railway are quartered (says the Stratford Post). Quarters have been provided for 24 married men anrl 60 single men. This is somewhat more limn half of what the ultimate provision will be. There aro three stores and a boardinghouse. Gardens are already in evidence, being surrounded by ornamental fences, and a largo recreation area has already been cleared and ploughed. Tennis courts and a bowling green soon will be laid down. Provision also has been made for a school. The whole settlement, which is reached ; by a tram lino from Tahdra, was laid out hv Mr. T. M. Ball, District Engineer of Public Works, on the plan of a well ordered township, and in addition to other conveniences electric light soon will bo installed,

A large mail 'awaited the American tourists on board the Carinthia, at Auckland. Altogether there were about 3CCO letters and 300 hundred packages. Four petrol road rollers, ordered by the No. 5 District Highways Corn ell for the Hawke’s Bay County Council and . the Dannevirke County Council for road work on main highways lave airived at .Napier. A new bridge on the south main highway near Matamau is in course of construction. The bridge is to cost about £12,000 and will be a link in the chain of bridges on Hawke’s Bay main highways. The material used is concrete and steel. Surprise was expressed bv members of the Wanganui Harbor Board who made a' visit of inspection to the harbor works recently at the way that the South Spit had built up (states the Herald). The marram grass planted had done well and had spread over a big area. If the all-wool 6ll> wool pack conics . into general use in place of the jute pack, as proposed by the British manufacturers, something like a million and a quarter pounds of our crossbred product will be used for baling the New Zealand clip and as much more for the countries which produce tine wools. During the shunting operations in the railway yard at M’aipukurau a truck came into collision with a motor car driven by Mr T. Hi. Whelch, with the result that the car was pushed along the lino for s.Qme distance, and across a cattle stop. Mr Whelch had the good fortune to escape uninjured and the car was not seriously damaged. Pukekohe is not the only distrxt in which the peaceful penetration of Asiatic market-gardeners is being increasing!) felt, remarks the Auckland Herald. Hurling the past ten years Chinese have leased more and more land in the Mangere district, right at Auckland’s backdoor, and last week the first sale of freehold was reported. This is stated to be a 40-acre block carrying a. dwelling of four rooms. Tho price paid is given at £4CCO, or £l6O an acre. .... (Speaking at the prize distribution ceremony at the Victoria Avenue School in Wanganui, the headmaster, Mr (Richardson, suggested that when the schools resumed after the vacation the day’s work should commence at 8 o’clock in the morning and extend up to noon. The afternoon’s work, during which the heat was most oppressive, could thus be spent in the open. The chairman of the Education Board (Mr W. Collins) said he saw no objection to the scheme providing tho five hours’ work was put in as usual. In almost every bookseller’s shop today, full half, if not more, of the books on sale aro American in origin (says the Manawatu Standard). Why it should be so we cannot understand, except on the assumption -that the Great War has, by enriching America and impoverishing Great Britain, enabled American publishing firms to obtain that place in the book world which was formerly held by Britain. We can only plead for a revival of British art and British literature, and for a greater demand on the part of the public for both. A lady in St. Martins, Christchurch, vouches for an impudent theft committed by a sparrow from her clothes lino. A lady's linen handkerchief had been spread over the line to dry, when soon afterwards a sparrow, presumably hunting for material for its nest, pounced on it, and flew away. Once t,Ho burden seemed too great, and tho handkerchief fell to tho ground, only to be immediately' picked up ... again by tlfc daring little robber; and f carried off to some neighboring trees. There is no. doubt that in the majority of oases tho Maori people do not look kindly upon hospitals, this mote particularly .referring, of course, to the older people. At the present time there are a number of Maori patients In the local institution (states the Wanganui Herald), and in speaking to a friend 1 recently a, young Maori woman expressed appreciation of the kindness and attention extended towards the people of her race by tooth medical and nursing staffs. “They seem to have a very great desire to help us,” she declared, “and I myself could not wish for better treatment. . Everybody is kind ond considerate. They always have a good word for the Maoris.” The staff of the Christchurch Railway goods shed received a reminder of the recent elections that has caused bitter resentjnent, and the members affected are saying some harsh things about the Government and the way they “get things done.” From information obtain ed by a representative of the Lyttelton Times it appears that on the day of the last Parliamentary election the local goods sheds were closed at noon and all the staff who could bo dispensed with were given a half-day off, but whereas the, members of the permanent staff do not lose any wages the casual members lose an amount equal to four hours’ pay. The money was not deducted from their .pay for the fortnight following election day. An interesting judgment was given in the Grey town Magistrates’ Coift't in the case Police v. F. Bull. Defendant was charged that, on October 18, he drove u public motor-car, not being the holder of a license authorising him to drive a public motor-car. Tho magistrate said tho Act clearly contemplated the use of ~ motor vehicles for more than one purL pose under one license. Many country r hotelkeepers and others kept motor-cars for their own use and occasionally ran them for hire. When so used such a car was a “publio motor-car,” but when used by the owner or his family for their‘own purposes it was a “private motor-car,” although licensed only as a “public motor-car.” He ’dismissed Ihe information. The prolonged holiday at the beginning of the year, necessitated by the infantile paralysis epidemic, has not had a detrimental effect upon the school children in Wanganui (reports the Chronicle). Indeed, the reverse appears to he the case, and the children have bom'lited in a remarkable degree as a result of the additional time spent in the open during the oppressive summer months when the epidemic reigned supreme. Tho early fears of educationalists have been dispelled anil the children in practically all classes have made up the leeway and received the usual sound grounding as the outcome of industrious work both on their and the teachers’ part. This fact, is borne out by the statement made hv a speaker at one of tho prize-giving ceremonies, to the effect that the epidemic was actually a “blessing in disguise.” As exemplifying the barrenness of the Ashburton County a good many years ago, an incident warf related to the Ashburton correspondent of t,hc Lyttelton Times by Mr. T. Hyde, a well-known resident of Hawke’s Bay. Ho said that away back in 1876 lie was in Ashburton on a. holiday, and wishing to pay a visit to some friends in the Seafield district, lie procured a horso to make the* trip. As the horse did not move freely, he took a. stick to “persuade” it along. He arrived at Seafield in due course of , time, and at the conclusion of h:s visit, on going to re-mount his horse, he found f. that the stick had disappeared. On making inquiries lie was told it was idea! | w for measuring tho distance between rows |v of potatoes, and was almost worth its weight in gold, as there was no timber for many miles around, the land growing little but tussocks.